I spent a long morning around the central part of the Albufera today.
On the way in, I was walking to the Platforma de s’Ulastrar and could hear a Savi’s warbler reeling off to the seaward side of the track. Despite its continuous song I couldn’t locate it. From the platform there were great reed and moustached warblers singing. I got a view of a moustached warbler, but not of the great reed (nor any of the four or five others I heard around the reserve).
As I looked out on arrival at the new Sa Roca hide I was stunned to see two slender-billed gulls flying around. They did a couple of circuits and then headed off in an inland direction, leaving me alone with my thoughts (principally wtf just happened?). There were two stone curlews on the grass between the new and old Sa Roca hides, and a great white egret at the back of the scrape. Here, and all around the reserve, there was a dearth of waterfowl and very few waders.
Around the reserve there were avocets, Kentish and little ringed plovers (many with young), lots of shelducks, purple herons and several iberiae yellow wagtails.
There was a good selection of dragon and damselflies, including violet dropwing, Norfolk hawkers, lesser emperors, black-tailed skimmers, blue-tailed and small red-eyed damselflies and a few goblet-marked damselflies.
I called at Maristany on my way back for lunch. Again, both numbers and selection of wildfowl were very low, three female red-crested pochards and a pair of great crested grebes with three young were noteworthy.
There were more dragonflies, with violet dropwing, lesser emperors, scarlet dragonflies and small red-eyed damselflies in evidence. Black-tailed skimmers we’re in full mating frenzy, with dozens out over the water ovipositing.
A little ringed plover was on the short-grass doing its distraction display to lure me away, and another great reed warbler was heard but remained unseen.
Stew